ASIA: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I never actually expected Malaysia to be so beautiful. What I saw and experienced were truly beyond my expectations. I thought of it as a "normal" Asian country - a country that would make me feel like I am still in the Philippines. I was wrong. Malaysia is a home of different races; mostly Indian and Chinese. We actually couldn't identify or distinguish the Malays from Indians or vice versa. Since they got all mixed up with different races, we can hardly tell. They say that some Malays look like Filipinos and yes, I agree with that. But we noticed that everywhere we go, the people we came across with and talked to can easily tell that we are Filipinos. But there would still be people who asked "Are you from the Philippines or Indonesia?"

Since we went there for travel and not for pleasure tours, we had a very tight budget. We booked our flight in Cebu Pacific because it was on seat sale and our flight from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru (Legoland) in Air Asia was on a year-round promo. The place we stayed at was Etika Inn located at the heart of Chinatown. We didn't have the intention to book at a 5-star hotel in Malaysia not because it was expensive but because we will never really get to enjoy the place since we were going to be out the whole day. Etika Inn is a good place to stay at especially with friends. They have spacious rooms and clean bathrooms and the receptionists are Filipinos. And, to top it all off, they have free wifi!

We only had one day to explore the city because we were going to fly to Johor Bahru the next day. We visited the Top 3 famous places in Kuala Lumpur which were: Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur Tower and The Petronas Twin Tower.

BATU CAVES

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Batu Caves (Tamil: பத்து மலை) is a limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temples in the Gombak district. The cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India, dedicated to Lord Murugan. It is the focal point of Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. (wikepedia.com)

There are rules before you enter the Batu caves. First obvious rule would be to not wear shorts or skirts. If you're unaware of the rule (just as I was), they will have you rent a shawl that should be wrapped on to you, and it costs RM 5. You will reach the cave by walking up a staircase of 272 steps! It was really exhausting. It was so exhausting that we actually had to take breaks once in a while. While you're on your way to the top, you must be careful with all your belongings especially your phones. There are monkeys everywhere that might just grab your valuables. I think it was part of the challenge in climbing up. When you reach the top of the cave, you will see different temples inside. You must also remove your shoes before entering any shrines.

KUALA LUMPUR TOWER

We were supposed to go and eat at the top level of this tower, but since it was really expensive and they had a dress code, we didn't proceed. We just enjoyed the view of the city and the tower. Near the reception is the Menara KL Tourism. There you can see a hanging bridge wherein you can take pictures and makes it a beautiful background too.

I never thought that the Petronas Twin Tower would be THAT enormous. We had to really step back to be able to get a full picture of it. It has become an iconic destination for tourists especially for couples because of its structural design. They compare this tower to two people facing together, holding hands. It was such a nice view. You can just relax and sit in the corner. Be sure to take massive amount of pictures! It was never boring to look at.

I'd like to recommend for you guys to go at night. Aside from avoiding the excruciating heat of the sun, the towers light up at night.

WHERE TO BUY PASALUBONG?

This street is obviously in Chinatown since the picture speaks for itself. You can buy cheap "I love Kuala Lumpur" shirts, magnets, pens, bags, keychains, ashtrays, etc here. You can also find miniature Petronas twin towers for displays at your home. Some stores have fixed price, some can be bargained for a lower price. Another amazing thing is, some sellers know how to speak tagalog. They probably know the language since they know that Filipinos LOVE to buy pasalubongs for their family and friends (and ask for a lower price).

WHERE TO EAT?

SPICY OVERLOAD

Their food was great! I love the chicken curry! They call it "Chicken with gravy" and I don't know why. I first assumed that it was really gravy, and I was kind of disappointed when it was served. But when I tasted it, HMMMMM IT'S GOOOOOD! Legit curry! I actually had 2 orders of this "chicken with gravy" because my friend didn't like it because it was too spicy. The "pancit looking" food , iced milo and rice also satisfied our cravings.

THINGS THAT MUST BE REMEMBERED WHEN IN KUALA LUMPUR:

1. All transportation costs double up at night.

2. When riding a taxi, have your taxi be metered. If they ask you to pay RM 30 flat, find another taxi.

3. If you don't like your food to be spicy, say it. All of their foods are spicy.

4. There are free buses that goes around to some tourist destinations.